Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Champions

Champions is a Children's Miracle Network Hospitals program that brings attention to the important work being done at its 170 children’s hospitals. It does this by honoring 51 remarkable kids who have faced severe medical challenges, and helping them tell their stories.

The Champions program designates a child in every state who has bravely battled a serious injury or illness. The Champions represent the nearly 17 million children treated at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals every year. The 2011 Champions have dealt with a wide variety of injuries and illnesses including genetic diseases, organ transplants and traumas, as well as various types of cancer.

The Champions travel for a week in October, first to Washington, D.C., where they traditionally meet with their state senators on Capitol Hill, and the President of the United States during a visit to the White House. They then take a private chartered flight, provided by Delta Air Lines, to Orlando, Fla. There, champions meet Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals sponsors, hospital representatives and media partners who all convene to celebrate a year of medical miracles during the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Celebration event at Walt Disney World Resort.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Emily's Story

Emily
Age: 7
Wyoming

The Children’s Hospital
Cystic Fibrosis

Emily has a larger-than-life spirit, but she had a much smaller start to life. Emily was born weighing only 5 pounds, 1.5 ounces. Despite eating three times the amount of a normal infant, she struggled to gain weight and her parents knew something wasn’t right.

After being referred to a nutritionist, doctors asked to perform a sweat test. Those very words made her father’s heart drop because a sweat test only meant one thing—she was being tested for cystic fibrosis.

On Emily’s second birthday, her family was forced to evacuate their home because of Hurricane Katrina. They decided to move close to The Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colo., where Emily’s parents knew they would find the best possible care for their daughter.

Although Emily still receives treatment, she remains positive and is a perfectly healthy 7-year-old. She loves to be with friends, ski and play soccer, and wants to be a dance teacher when she grows up.